U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood Announces More Than $39 Million in Grants to Build and Improve Ferry Docks and Facilities

WASHINGTON - U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood today announced $39 million in grants to 20 states to improve ferry service and provide more travel options.

"These grants are all about making it easier for people to get to work and go about their daily lives," said Secretary LaHood. "Ferry boats are an essential part of the transportation system in these states."

Congress authorized the Federal Highway Administration's Ferry Boat Program to fund ferry boat projects that provide critical access to areas that lack other means of transportation where high passenger demand already exists. The money can be used for capital improvements to existing ferry operations, which could increase the number of riders, relieve congestion or address environmental or significant operational concerns.

"The ferry boat program helps fill a transportation gap while at the same time making communities more livable by improving mobility," Federal Highway Administrator Victor Mendez said.

The projects receiving money include bulkhead replacement at the Bayshore Ferry Terminal in New Jersey, a critical ferry route into Manhattan; the Larkspur Ferry to rehabilitate a ferry and relieve congestion on ferry routes connecting San Francisco and Marin County; the Lake Havasu Ferry to improve service between Lake Havasu City in Arizona and the California shore; and the Salem Ferry in Massachusetts to help meet growing traffic needs between Salem and Boston.